Stories & Updates

I'll add new stories from time to time. Some notable events and times throughout our travels that I won't bear to forget!

Growing up, I was always infatuated with Legos. My father, still to this day, says "Legos were your best babysitter" becuase I would sit there and build for hours. Without saying much of a word.

Not only would my parents buy me lego set after lego set, the neighbors and family friends all knew who to give unwanted legos to. The bins were endless in our basement.

So, you can only image my excitement when my son Amari asked for a Lightening McQueen lego set. I set aside some time to sit with him one-on-one for 1 hour, 3 days in a row. We slowly and meticulously built an incredibly designed, Lego Lightening McQueen. Amari was ecstatic. Not only will the completed product, but I could tell how proud of himself he was.

Honestly, it was fairly complex for his first build. Not to mention, its a race car and my kid prefer to play with their toys instead of staring at them. Needless to say, it didnt take long before we started losing some pieces.

Next go around, we purchased some more simple builds. Amari's favorite, monster trucks. And Aazym, a fast car. But this time, we came prepared with an adhesive specifically for Legos and they have held up wonderfully under the pressure of young boys and their imaginations.

I must say, I'm looking foward to this next phase of fatherhood.

Having multiple many kids in different, it can be difficult keeping them all engaged in sports and activites. Adding a girl to our long list of boys presented another challenge. One we were happy to have.

With so many brothers, Ariya often ends up playing sports or rough-housing with her brother. But naturally, she loves pretending, dressing up and getting her nails done.

We wanted to find something that would feed her interests that aren't always emphasized growing up in a house with all boys, and ballet stuck out as the best option.

As her first class started, she was nervouse and would not let me leave her side. I stayed by my daughter, literally hand in hand, for the first half of the class.The only dad in attendance, front and center, walking on his tippy toes and spinning around. Just so m Ariya would feel comofrotable.

Halfway through her first class, she gained the confidence to keep going without me by her side. This was really the first time I got to see my daughter go out on her own in a way. It may seem small, but to me it was one of the most heart warming moments I've experienced as a father. 

One I thought I'd never get to experience after having boy after boy.

As a father and a husband, I take great pride in making memeorable experiences for my family. I was told a while ago that " This may just be another day for you, but for them, this is their childhood", and I took that to heart. Not just with my children but with my wife.

Deej has always been a die hard Eagles fan and know more about not only the players but the sport, than most men I know. Despite all of that, she had never been to an actual Eagles game. So for her 30th birthday, one of my gifts to her were 2 tickets to see the Eagles vs Cowboys. With some exceptional seats in might I add (17th row on the 25 yard line). 

I was able to plan a whole weekend around the game, so that she got more than just a first time experience but also a short getaway to relax from being a great mother everyday. 

Friday we checked into our hotel, W Philadelphia, on friday and left our for Lincoln Financial Field. Saturday, we ordered room service and ate breakfast in bed before sending her out for a fee hours at AWAY Spa in the hotel. At night, we met up with some friends for a double date at Beat The Bomb, topped off with a wonderful dinner at Alphen Rose, a restuarant Deej had been talking about for months.

The excitement and joy radiating from her face all weekend was more than I could have asked for. It's moments like this that make everythign worth while.